大般若波羅蜜多經

02

At that time, the Blessed One, knowing clearly that the four assemblies—bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, and upasikas—together with the great bodhisattvas, the Four Great Kings, the hosts of devas, the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-three, the Yama devas, the Tusita devas, the devas who Delight in Creation, the devas who Exercise Mastery over Others’ Creations, the devas of the Brahma Hosts, the Ministers of Brahma, the Retinue of Brahma, the Great Brahmas, the devas of Light, the devas of Lesser Light, the devas of Limitless Light, the devas of Utmost Radiant Purity, the devas of Purity, the devas of Lesser Purity, the devas of Limitless Purity, the devas of Pervasive Purity, the Vast devas, the devas of Lesser Vastness, the devas of Limitless Vastness, the devas of Abundant Fruit,

the Untroubled devas, the Unheated devas, the Fair-appearing devas, the Fair-seeing devas, and the devas of the Ultimate Form Realm had all assembled together in harmony, addressed Sakra, Lord of the Devas:

“Kausika! Whether great bodhisattvas; bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, or upasikas; sons or daughters of the devas; or good men or good women—if they do not depart from the mind of all-knowledge, take non-attainment as their skillful means, and receive and uphold, read and recite, diligently cultivate, reflect upon in accordance with principle, expound to others, and widely propagate this prajnaparamita, you should know that no evil Mara king or retinue of Mara can afflict or harm them.

Why is this? Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of form; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.

Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the form skandha and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

“Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the eye ayatana; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind ayatanas. Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the eye ayatana and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

“Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the form ayatana; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the sound, odor, taste, tangible-object, and dharma ayatanas. Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the form ayatana and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

“Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the eye dhatu; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the form dhatu, the eye-consciousness dhatu, eye-contact, and the feelings produced in dependence upon eye-contact as condition. Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the eye dhatu and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

“Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the ear dhatu; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the sound dhatu, the ear-consciousness dhatu, ear-contact, and the feelings produced in dependence upon ear-contact as condition. Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the ear dhatu and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

“Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the nose dhatu; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the odor dhatu, the nose-consciousness dhatu, nose-contact, and the feelings produced in dependence upon nose-contact as condition. Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the nose dhatu and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

“Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the tongue dhatu; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the taste dhatu, the tongue-consciousness dhatu, tongue-contact, and the feelings produced in dependence upon tongue-contact as condition. Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the tongue dhatu and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

“Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the body dhatu; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the tangible-object dhatu, the body-consciousness dhatu, body-contact, and the feelings produced in dependence upon body-contact as condition. Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the body dhatu and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

“Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the mind dhatu; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the dharma dhatu, the mind-consciousness dhatu, mental contact, and the feelings produced in dependence upon mental contact as condition. Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the mind dhatu and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

“Kausika! Those good men, good women, and so forth skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the earth dhatu; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness dhatus. Yet emptiness cannot be used to attain comprehension of emptiness, signlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of signlessness, and wishlessness cannot be used to attain comprehension of wishlessness. Why is this? Because the earth dhatu and so forth are all empty in their intrinsic nature; therefore, the one who harms, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.”

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the noble truth of suffering; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the noble truths of the origin, cessation, and path. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the noble truth of suffering and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of ignorance; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of volitional formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and distress. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of ignorance and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of inner emptiness; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, emptiness of ultimate meaning, emptiness of the conditioned, emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, emptiness of dispersion, emptiness of the unchanging, emptiness of intrinsic nature, emptiness of individual characteristics, emptiness of common characteristics, emptiness of all dharmas, emptiness of the unapprehensible, emptiness of nonexistence, emptiness of intrinsic nature, and emptiness of the intrinsic nature of nonexistence.

They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of inner emptiness and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of suchness; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the dharma realm, dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the unchanging nature, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the true limit, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm.

They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of suchness and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the perfection of generosity; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the perfections of pure morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and prajnaparamita. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the perfection of generosity and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the four meditative absorptions; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the four immeasurables and the four formless concentrations. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the four meditative absorptions and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the eight liberations; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten universal bases. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the eight liberations and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the four foundations of mindfulness; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the eight factors of the Noble Path. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness.

Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the four foundations of mindfulness and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the gateway to liberation through emptiness; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the gateways to liberation through signlessness and wishlessness. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the gateway to liberation through emptiness and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the five kinds of eyes; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the six superknowledges. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the five kinds of eyes and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the Buddha’s ten powers; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetration into emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetration into signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetration into wishlessness.

Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the Buddha’s ten powers and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who causes harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the Dharma of non-forgetfulness; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the nature of perpetual relinquishment. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetrating comprehension of emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the Dharma of non-forgetfulness and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who inflicts harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the knowledge of all things; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the knowledge of the aspects of the paths and the knowledge of all aspects. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetrating comprehension of emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the knowledge of all things and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who inflicts harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of all dharani gateways; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of all samadhi gateways. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetrating comprehension of emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of all dharani gateways and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who inflicts harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of stream-enterers; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of once-returners, non-returners, and arhats. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetrating comprehension of emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of stream-enterers and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who inflicts harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of those proceeding toward stream-entry and the fruit of stream-entry; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of those proceeding toward once-returning and the fruit of once-returning, those proceeding toward non-returning and the fruit of non-returning, and those proceeding toward arhatship and the fruit of arhatship.

They cannot use emptiness to attain penetrating comprehension of emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of those proceeding toward stream-entry, the fruit of stream-entry, and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who inflicts harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of pratyekabuddhas; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of those proceeding toward pratyekabuddhahood and the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetrating comprehension of emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of pratyekabuddhas and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who inflicts harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of great bodhisattvas; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of samyaksambuddhas. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetrating comprehension of emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of great bodhisattvas and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who inflicts harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the dharmas of great bodhisattvas; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of unsurpassed perfect awakening. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetrating comprehension of emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the dharmas of great bodhisattvas and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who inflicts harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the shravaka vehicle; they skillfully abide in the emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness of the pratyekabuddha vehicle and the Supreme Vehicle. They cannot use emptiness to attain penetrating comprehension of emptiness, cannot use signlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of signlessness, and cannot use wishlessness to attain penetrating comprehension of wishlessness. Why? Because the intrinsic nature of the shravaka vehicle and so forth is entirely empty; therefore, the one who inflicts harm, the one who is harmed, and the act of harming cannot be apprehended.

Furthermore, Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, are persons whom humans and nonhumans cannot easily harm. Why? Because those good men and good women, and so forth, employing non-apprehension as skillful means, skillfully cultivate minds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity toward all sentient beings.

Kausika! Those good men and good women, and so forth, are never harmed by sudden perilous and dreadful events, nor do they die an untimely death. Why? Because those good men and good women, and so forth, practice the perfection of generosity and provide all sentient beings with genuine peace and security.

Furthermore, Kausika! In this trichiliocosm there are assemblies of devas of the Four Great Kings,

the Thirty-Three, Yama, Tushita, Delight in Emanations, Mastery over Others’ Emanations, the Assemblies of Brahma, Radiant Purity, Universal Purity, Abundant Fruit, and so forth, who have generated the aspiration to seek unsurpassed perfect awakening. If any among them have not yet heard, received and retained, read and recited, diligently studied and practiced, or correctly contemplated this prajnaparamita, they should now, without departing from the aspiration for the knowledge of all aspects and employing non-apprehension as skillful means, listen attentively to, receive and retain, read and recite, diligently study and practice, and contemplate this prajnaparamita in accordance with reason.

Kausika! If good men and good women, and others, never depart from the mind of all-knowledge and, taking nonattainment as skillful means, listen wholeheartedly to this Prajnaparamita, receive and retain it, read and recite it, diligently cultivate and study it, and reflect upon it in accordance with principle, then whether they are in an empty house, in the wilderness, on a dangerous road, or in a place beset by calamities, those good men and good women, and others, will never be afraid, terrified, or horrified, with their hair standing on end.

Why? Because those good men and good women, and others, never depart from the mind of all-knowledge and, taking nonattainment as skillful means, skillfully cultivate the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of the internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of nonchange, the emptiness of essential nature, the emptiness of own-characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unapprehensible, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of own-nature,

and the emptiness of the nonexistence of own-nature.

At that time, in this trichiliocosm, the devas of the Four Great Kings, the Thirty-Three, Yama, Tusita, Delight in Creation, Mastery over Others’ Creations, the Brahma Hosts, Brahma Ministers, Brahma Assemblies, Great Brahmas, Radiance, Limited Radiance, Immeasurable Radiance, Utmost Purity of Radiance, Purity, Limited Purity, Immeasurable Purity, Universal Purity, Vastness, Limited Vastness, Immeasurable Vastness, Abundant Fruit, No Affliction, No Heat, Excellent Manifestation, Excellent Vision, and the Ultimate Form Realm, and others, together addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! If good men and good women, and others, never depart from the mind of all-knowledge and, taking nonattainment as skillful means, constantly receive and retain this profound Prajnaparamita, read and recite it, diligently cultivate and study it, reflect upon it in accordance with principle, copy it, explain it, and disseminate it widely, we shall always follow them, respectfully guarding and protecting them so that no calamity may suddenly assail them. Why? Because those good men and good women, and others, are indeed great bodhisattvas.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, sentient beings are enabled forever to leave far behind the dangerous and evil destinies of the hells, the animal realm, the realm of hungry ghosts, and the asuras.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, devas and humans are enabled forever to leave far behind all suffering caused by calamities, epidemics, poverty, hunger, thirst, heat, cold, and so forth.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the ten wholesome courses of karma appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the four dhyanas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless absorptions appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive absorptions, and the ten totality spheres appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the paramitas of generosity, pure morality, patient acceptance, vigor, dhyana, and prajnaparamita appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the emptiness of the internal, the emptiness of the external, the emptiness of the internal and external, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, the emptiness of ultimate meaning, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, ultimate emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of nonchange, the emptiness of essential nature, the emptiness of own-characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unapprehensible, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of own-nature, and the emptiness of the nonexistence of own-nature appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, suchness, the dharma realm, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the nature free from change, the nature of equality, the nature detached from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the Noble Truth of suffering, the Noble Truth of its origin, the Noble Truth of its cessation, and the Noble Truth of the path appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the eight factors of the Noble Path appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the liberation gate of emptiness, the liberation gate of signlessness, and the liberation gate of wishlessness appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the Buddha’s ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the Dharma of never forgetting and the nature of constant equanimity appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all aspects appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, all dharani gateways and all samadhi gateways appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the great ksatriya clans, the great brahmin clans, the great clans of elders, the great clans of householders, the kings of minor realms, wheel-turning sage kings, and assisting ministers appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the devas of the Four Great Kings, the Thirty-Three, Yama, Tusita, Delight in Creation, and Mastery over Others’ Creations appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the devas of the Brahma Hosts, Brahma Ministers, Brahma Assemblies, Great Brahmas, Radiance, Limited Radiance, Immeasurable Radiance, Utmost Purity of Radiance, Purity, Limited Purity, Immeasurable Purity, Universal Purity, Vastness, Limited Vastness, Immeasurable Vastness, and Abundant Fruit appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the devas of No Affliction, No Heat, Excellent Manifestation, Excellent Vision, and the Ultimate Form Realm appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the devas of the Sphere of Infinite Space, the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness, the Sphere of Nothingness, and the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Nonperception appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats, as well as those practicing toward stream-entry, those who have attained the fruit of stream-entry, those practicing toward once-returning, those who have attained the fruit of once-returning, those practicing toward non-returning, those who have attained the fruit of non-returning, those practicing toward arhatship, and those who have attained the fruit of arhatship appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, as well as those practicing toward pratyekabuddhahood and those who have attained the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood, appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, great bodhisattvas who bring sentient beings to maturity and purify Buddha lands appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones appear in the world, attain unsurpassed perfect awakening, turn the wondrous Dharma wheel, and liberate immeasurable sentient beings.

“World-Honored One! Because of those great bodhisattvas, the treasure of the Buddha, the treasure of the Dharma, and the treasure of the bhiksu Sangha appear in the world.

“World-Honored One! For these reasons, we devas, nagas, asuras, gandharvas, garudas, kimnaras, yaksas, raksasas, mahoragas, humans, nonhumans, and others shall always follow, revere, support, and protect those great bodhisattvas, preventing all calamities from assailing, troubling, or harming them.”

At that time, the Blessed One said to Śakra, Lord of the Gods, and to the devas, nāgas, asuras, and others: “So it is! So it is! It is just as you have said. Kauśika! If good men, good women, and others, never separating themselves from the aspiration for the knowledge of all modes and employing non-attainment as skillful means, constantly uphold, recite, diligently cultivate and study, reflect upon in accordance with principle, copy, explain, and widely disseminate this profound prajnaparamita, you should know that those good men, good women, and others are indeed great bodhisattvas.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, sentient beings are forever freed from the hells, the animal realm, the realm of hungry ghosts, the asura realm, and so forth. Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, devas and humans are forever freed from every form of suffering and calamity, sickness, poverty, hunger, thirst, heat, cold, and so forth.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the ten wholesome courses of karma appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the four dhyānas, the four immeasurables, and the four formless concentrations appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the eight liberations, the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten totalities appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the paramitas of generosity, pure discipline, patient endurance, diligence, dhyāna, and prajnaparamita appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, inner emptiness, outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, absolute emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of the immutable, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unapprehensible, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, suchness, the dharma-dhatu, the nature of dharmas, the nature free from falsity, the immutable nature, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding nature of dharmas, the limit of reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the Noble Truth of suffering, the Noble Truth of its origin, the Noble Truth of cessation, and the Noble Truth of the path appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the eightfold noble path appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the liberation gateway of emptiness, the liberation gateway of signlessness, and the liberation gateway of wishlessness appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the five kinds of eyes and the six superknowledges appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the ten powers of a Buddha, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the Dharma of never losing mindfulness and the nature of constant equanimity appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the knowledge of all things, the knowledge of the aspects of the paths, and the knowledge of all modes appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, all dharani gateways and all samādhi gateways appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, great kṣatriya families, great brāhmaṇa families, great elder families, great householder families, kings of minor realms, wheel-turning sage-kings, and assisting ministers appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the hosts of devas of the Four Great Kings, the Thirty-Three, Yāma, Tuṣita, Delight in Creation, and Mastery over Others’ Creations appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the Brahmā Host devas, Brahmā Ministers devas, Brahmā Assembly devas, Great Brahmā devas, Radiance devas, Limited Radiance devas, Immeasurable Radiance devas, Utmost Purity of Radiance devas, Purity devas, Limited Purity devas, Immeasurable Purity devas, Universal Purity devas, Vast devas, Limited Vastness devas, Immeasurable Vastness devas, and Abundant Fruit devas appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the Free from Affliction devas, Free from Heat devas, Excellent Manifestation devas, Excellent Vision devas, and Ultimate Form devas appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the devas of the Sphere of Infinite Space, the devas of the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness, the devas of the Sphere of Nothingness, and the devas of the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats, as well as those progressing toward stream-entry and those who have attained the fruit of stream-entry, those progressing toward once-returning and those who have attained the fruit of once-returning, those progressing toward non-returning and those who have attained the fruit of non-returning, and those progressing toward arhatship and those who have attained the fruit of arhatship, appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, those progressing toward pratyekabuddhahood, and those who have attained the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood appear in the world.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, great bodhisattvas appear in the world, bringing sentient beings to maturity and adorning and purifying Buddha-fields.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones appear in the world, attain the fruit of unsurpassed awakening, turn the wondrous Dharma wheel, and liberate immeasurable sentient beings.

“Kauśika! Because of such great bodhisattvas, the Jewel of the Buddha, the Jewel of the Dharma, and the Jewel of the Bhikṣu Sangha appear in the world.

“Kauśika! For this reason, you devas, nāgas, asuras, and others should always respectfully attend upon, make offerings to, honor, praise, and diligently protect these great bodhisattvas, allowing no calamity to assail or harm them.

“Kauśika! If anyone constantly respectfully attends upon, makes offerings to, honors, and praises such great bodhisattvas, you should know that such a person thereby respectfully attends upon, makes offerings to, honors, and praises me and all the Tathagatas, Arhats, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones throughout the ten directions. Therefore, you devas, nāgas, asuras, and others should always respectfully attend upon, make offerings to, honor, praise, and diligently protect these great bodhisattvas, allowing no calamity to assail or harm them.

“Kauśika! Suppose that śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas filled Jambudvīpa as densely and without gaps as forests of sugarcane, reeds, bamboo, rice, and sesame. Suppose that good men, good women, and others respectfully attended upon, made offerings to, honored, and praised that field of merit throughout their entire lives with immeasurable varieties of fine and desirable necessities.

Suppose, on the other hand, that someone, for only a moment, respectfully attended upon, made offerings to, honored, and praised a single great bodhisattva who had first aroused the aspiration for awakening and never separated from the six paramitas. If the merits of the former persons were compared with the merit of the latter person, they would not equal even one hundredth part of it, one thousandth part, one hundred-thousandth part, one hundred-millionth part, one ten-billionth part, one hundred-billionth part, or one ten-trillionth part.

No numerical fraction, analogical fraction, or even the most infinitesimal fraction could equal it.”

Kausika! Suppose that sravakas and pratyekabuddhas filled the entire continents of Jambudvipa and Purvavideha, as densely as forests of sugarcane, reeds, bamboo, rice, sesame, and so forth, leaving no space between them. If good men, good women, and others were, throughout their lives, to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise that field of merit with immeasurable varieties of fine and pleasing requisites, while someone else, for only a single moment, were to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise a great bodhisattva who had first generated the aspiration for enlightenment and did not depart from the six paramitas, then, compared with the merit of the latter person, the merit of the former persons would not equal one hundredth part, one thousandth part,

or one hundred-thousandth part; it would not equal even the smallest calculable fraction thereof.

Kausika! Suppose that sravakas and pratyekabuddhas filled the entire continents of Jambudvipa, Purvavideha, and Aparagodaniya, as densely as forests of sugarcane, reeds, bamboo, rice, and sesame, leaving no space between them. If good men, good women, and others were, throughout their lives, to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise that field of merit with immeasurable varieties of fine and pleasing requisites, while someone else, for only a single moment, were to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise a great bodhisattva who had first generated the aspiration for enlightenment and did not depart from the six paramitas, then, compared with the merit of the latter person, the merit of the former persons would not equal one hundredth part, one thousandth part,

or one hundred-thousandth part; it would not equal even the smallest calculable fraction thereof.

Kausika! Suppose that sravakas and pratyekabuddhas filled the entire continents of Jambudvipa, Purvavideha, Aparagodaniya, and Uttarakuru, as densely as forests of sugarcane, reeds, bamboo, rice, sesame, and so forth, leaving no space between them. If good men, good women, and others were, throughout their lives, to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise that field of merit with immeasurable varieties of fine and pleasing requisites, while someone else, for only a single moment, were to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise a great bodhisattva who had first generated the aspiration for enlightenment and did not depart from the six paramitas, then, compared with the merit of the latter person, the merit of the former persons would not equal one hundredth part,

one thousandth part, or one hundred-thousandth part; it would not equal even the smallest calculable fraction thereof.

Kausika! Suppose that sravakas and pratyekabuddhas filled all four continents, as densely as forests of sugarcane, reeds, bamboo, rice, and sesame, leaving no space between them. If good men, good women, and others were, throughout their lives, to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise that field of merit with immeasurable varieties of fine and pleasing requisites, while someone else, for only a single moment, were to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise a great bodhisattva who had first generated the aspiration for enlightenment and did not depart from the six paramitas, then, compared with the merit of the latter person, the merit of the former persons would not equal one hundredth part, one thousandth part, or one hundred-thousandth part;

it would not equal even the smallest calculable fraction thereof.

Kausika! Suppose that sravakas and pratyekabuddhas filled an entire small chiliocosm, as densely as forests of sugarcane, reeds, bamboo, rice, sesame, and so forth, leaving no space between them. If good men, good women, and others were, throughout their lives, to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise that field of merit with immeasurable varieties of fine and pleasing requisites, while someone else, for only a single moment, were to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise a great bodhisattva who had first generated the aspiration for enlightenment and did not depart from the six paramitas, then, compared with the merit of the latter person, the merit of the former persons would not equal one hundredth part, one thousandth part, or one hundred-thousandth part;

it would not equal even the smallest calculable fraction thereof.

Kausika! Suppose that sravakas and pratyekabuddhas filled an entire medium chiliocosm, as densely as forests of sugarcane, reeds, bamboo, rice, sesame, and so forth, leaving no space between them. If good men, good women, and others were, throughout their lives, to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise that field of merit with immeasurable varieties of fine and pleasing requisites, while someone else, for only a single moment, were to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise a great bodhisattva who had first generated the aspiration for enlightenment and did not depart from the six paramitas, then, compared with the merit of the latter person, the merit of the former persons would not equal one hundredth part, one thousandth part, or one hundred-thousandth part;

it would not equal even the smallest calculable fraction thereof.

Kausika! Suppose that sravakas and pratyekabuddhas filled the Buddha-realms throughout an entire great trichiliocosm, as densely as forests of sugarcane, reeds, bamboo, rice, sesame, and so forth, leaving no space between them. If good men, good women, and others were, throughout their lives, to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise that field of merit with immeasurable varieties of fine and pleasing requisites, while someone else, for only a single moment, were to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise a great bodhisattva who had first generated the aspiration for enlightenment and did not depart from the six paramitas, then, compared with the merit of the latter person, the merit of the former persons would not equal one hundredth part, one thousandth part,

or one hundred-thousandth part; it would not equal even the smallest calculable fraction thereof.

Kausika! Suppose that sravakas and pratyekabuddhas filled immeasurable and boundless worlds throughout the ten directions, as densely as forests of sugarcane, reeds, bamboo, rice, sesame, and so forth, leaving no space between them. If good men, good women, and others were, throughout their lives, to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise that field of merit with immeasurable varieties of fine and pleasing requisites, while someone else, for only a single moment, were to revere, make offerings to, honor, and praise a great bodhisattva who had first generated the aspiration for enlightenment and did not depart from the six paramitas, then, compared with the merit of the latter person, the merit of the former persons would not equal one hundredth part, one thousandth part,

or one hundred-thousandth part; it would not equal even the smallest calculable fraction thereof.

Why is this? Kausika! It is not because of sravakas and pratyekabuddhas that great bodhisattvas and the Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones appear in the world.

It is solely because of great bodhisattvas that sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and the Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly and Completely Awakened Ones appear in the world. Therefore, all of you—devas, nagas, asuras, gandharvas, garudas, kimnaras, yakshas, rakshasas, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans—should always support and protect this great bodhisattva, revere and make offerings to him, honor and praise him, and never allow any calamity to assail, trouble, or harm him.

At that time, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, addressed the Buddha: “World-Honored One! How exceedingly rare it is! That great bodhisattva receives and upholds, reads and recites, diligently cultivates and studies, reflects upon in accordance with principle, copies, expounds, and widely disseminates this profound prajnaparamita.

Embracing the merit of such specific practices, the bodhisattva brings sentient beings to maturity, adorns and purifies Buddha-fields, proceeds from one Buddha-field to another, and draws near to and serves the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones. Accordingly, the bodhisattva’s joy and supreme roots of goodness, arising from reverently making offerings to, honoring, and praising the Buddhas, are brought to perfection. Having heard the True Dharma of the Buddhas, the bodhisattva never forgets it, even until attaining the fruit of unsurpassed enlightenment.

Being able swiftly to retain the essential teachings that have been heard, the bodhisattva thereby perfects lineage, mother, birth, retinue, excellent marks, radiance, eyes, ears, voice, dharani, and samadhi. Furthermore, through the power of skillful means, the bodhisattva manifests a body resembling that of a Buddha, proceeds from world to world, and goes to lands where there is no Buddha. There the bodhisattva expounds and praises the perfection of generosity; expounds and praises the perfections of pure morality, patient acceptance, diligence, meditation, and prajnaparamita; expounds and praises inner emptiness;

expounds and praises outer emptiness, inner-and-outer emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, the emptiness of the conditioned, the emptiness of the unconditioned, absolute emptiness, boundless emptiness, the emptiness of dispersion, the emptiness of nonchange, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the emptiness of individual characteristics, the emptiness of common characteristics, the emptiness of all dharmas, the emptiness of the unapprehensible, the emptiness of nonexistence, the emptiness of self-nature, and the emptiness of the self-nature of nonexistence; expounds and praises suchness;

expounds and praises the dharma-dhatu, dharma-nature, the nature free from falsity, the nature free from change, the nature of equality, the nature of freedom from arising, the certainty of dharmas, the abiding of dharmas, the ultimate reality, the realm of space, and the inconceivable realm; expounds and praises the Noble Truth of suffering; expounds and praises the Noble Truths of the origin of suffering, cessation, and the path; expounds and praises the four meditative absorptions; expounds and praises the four immeasurables and the four formless concentrations; expounds and praises the eight liberations; expounds and praises the eight spheres of mastery, the nine successive concentrations, and the ten totalities; expounds and praises the four establishments of mindfulness;

expounds and praises the four right efforts, the four bases of spiritual power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path; expounds and praises the liberation gateway of emptiness; expounds and praises the liberation gateways of signlessness and wishlessness; expounds and praises the five kinds of eyes; expounds and praises the six superknowledges; expounds and praises the ten powers of a Buddha; expounds and praises the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed understandings, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha; expounds and praises the Dharma of never losing mindfulness; expounds and praises the nature of constant equanimity;

expounds and praises the knowledge of all things; expounds and praises the knowledge of the aspects of the paths and the knowledge of all aspects; expounds and praises all dharani gateways; expounds and praises all samadhi gateways; expounds and praises the Jewel of the Buddha; and expounds and praises the Jewel of the Dharma and the Jewel of the Bhikshu Sangha.

Furthermore, through the power of skillful means, the bodhisattva proclaims the essential Dharma for sentient beings and, as appropriate, establishes them in the teachings of the Three Vehicles, enabling them to be forever liberated from birth, aging, sickness, and death and to realize the realm of nirvana without remainder; or rescues them from suffering in the evil destinies, enabling them to enter the human and heavenly realms and enjoy peace and happiness.

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